But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. (Mt. 6:33-34) One of my favorite books is called the “Screwtape Letters” by C.S. Lewis. I’m sure many of us have read it. The book takes the form of a series of letters from a senior demon, Screwtape, to his nephew, a junior “tempter” named Wormwood, giving advice on the best way to ensure that a British man, known only as “the Patient,” ends up in hell. In a great irony, God is called “the Enemy.” One of my favorite letters involves the idea of “living in the present.” I’m going to let C.S. Lewis speak for the pastor today: “The humans live in time but our Enemy destines them to eternity. He therefore, I believe, … [Read more...]
From the Pastor – February 23, 2014
Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. (Lk 6:20-23) It’s hard to believe that it’s been three years since the Saints won the Super Bowl. I remember it like it was yesterday! It seems that since Katrina, we have needed a symbol for the “renaissance” of our city. It could have come from the outpouring of support we received from people living outside of the state, or even from the revamping of our own city government. It could have come from the outside businessmen, artists, musicians, actors, and celebrities who … [Read more...]
19th Men’s Morning of Spirituality
The Catholic Men’s Fellowship’s next Morning of Spirituality for Men will be held on Saturday, March 15, 2014, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, located at 4640 Canal St. in New Orleans. The theme for our 19th Men’s Morning of Spirituality is “Food for the Soul,” our speakers, restaurateurs John Besh of the Besh group of restaurants and Tommy Cvitanovich of Drago’s Restaurant, will discuss how their Catholic faith guides their work, and family lives. As always, in addition to the presentations, the day will include prayer and Adoration, the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the celebration of the Eucharist. Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond will be our celebrant and homilist. … [Read more...]
Archdiocese of New Orleans Ninth General Synod
At the Chrism Mass on April 15, 2014, we will convoke the Ninth General Synod of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. The purpose of the synod is to discern God’s Vision and Priorities for our local church for the next three-five years. I have appointed Sister Elizabeth (Beth) Fitzpatrick, O. Carm., Sister Mary Ellen Wheelahan, O. Carm. and Fr. Pat Williams as Archdiocesan Synod Leaders. They will work in partnership with Paul Breaux and the Catholic Leadership Institute to tailor the synod vision and priority setting process to meet the specific needs and goals of our archdiocese. We hope that this synod will be an opportunity for us to “work together for your joy.” (2 Cor.1:24) … [Read more...]
From the Pastor – February 16, 2014
Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Mt. 5:19) Preferring quiet, I rarely listen to music around the rectory or in the car, but when I go to my family farm in Alabama, I listen to a lot of country music. It started many years ago when it was the only thing I could pick up on the radio in my beat-up 1980 Suburban. And now I listen to country because it seems to go well with riding around in the woods. Although I generally enjoy the melodies of country songs, what I particularly like are the lyrics. They’re easy to understand in country music, and they usually have some kind of good, … [Read more...]
From the Pastor – February 9, 2014
Jesus said to his disciples: “You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” (Mt. 5:13) When I was in second or third grade, some of my classmates started making fun of me – as children do – by calling me “salty Nalty.” They would repeat it over and over again: “Salty Nalty! Salty Nalty! Salty Nalty” especially as they realized that it distressed me at that young age. One day I came home from school and told my Mother about it. "You just tell them that you are the ‘salt of the earth.’" I'm not sure I'd ever heard that saying before but it sounded like it came from the Bible, and in fact it's the gospel we read this weekend. What is it mean to be the "salt of the … [Read more...]
From the Pastor – February 2, 2014
You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father. (Mt. 5:14-16) This Sunday we celebrate Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord, a feast that rarely falls on a Sunday. Because it’s a Feast of Our Lord, it “bumps” the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary time. The Mass commemorates the presentation of Jesus in the temple when Simeon declared Him “a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel,” and since the Mass is traditionally associated with the blessing of candles, it’s often called “Candlemass.” I … [Read more...]
Annulment Writing Workshop
The Family Life Apostolate will offer a writing workshop for people seeking annulments in the Catholic Church or for people responding to an annulment. The workshop will be held at the North Shore Pastoral Center in Covington. The series will be for five Tuesdays, January 28, February 4, 11, 18 and 25, 2014 from 6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. The materials for the series cost $25.00, to register or for more information, call Family Life Apostolate, 504-861-6243. … [Read more...]
From the Pastor – January 19, 2014
As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. (Mt. 4:18-20) One afternoon while I was in seminary I was having lunch with some classmates, and we were joined by another seminarian who was a member of another religious community. He was younger than my classmates, and pretty “gung ho” about being a seminarian. With eager eyes and enthusiasm, he turned to my classmate, Mike Woods, and asked “So when did you get your call??!!” Now, you’d have to know Mike, but suffice it to say that Mike was about 10 years older than the other seminarian. He’s from Pittsburgh, … [Read more...]
From Pastor – January 5, 2014
“And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage.” (Mt. 2:9-11) Why were the “wise men” wise? Were they wise because they knew the movements of the stars in the sky? Were they wise because they understood the seasons of the year or the movements of nature? What made them wise? The word for “wise men” is a Greek word that we transliterate as “magi.” The magi were interested in trying to understand the created world, but they searched for more. The magi might have been smart because of all of their knowledge of the physical world, but wisdom is … [Read more...]
